


A Beautiful Start

by LyricalMelody



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Past Allura/Lance (Voltron), Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 13:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20154559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyricalMelody/pseuds/LyricalMelody
Summary: Lance had loved Hunk for longer than he could really say. One day, he'd realized it but never thought it would be reciprocated.He thought the same with Allura, though.Losing her, he thought all was done, all was lost and gone, but then Hunk shows up at his door and he doesn't know what to do.Lance McClain, Blue/Red Paladin and Best FriendLong ago, he'd given up on being anything other than the best friend. He was happy for Lance and Allura, and devastated by Allura's departure.He wanted nothing more than to be there for his friend, but was this the chance to be honest, with himself and his best friend?Hawea "Hunk" Garrett, Yellow Paladin and Best FriendWhat happens when life throws these two men together once again? Will friendship prevail, or will they allow themselves to become something more, something closer and maybe even better?What will they choose?





	A Beautiful Start

**Author's Note:**

> This was my piece for Tidal Waves, a free Lance-centric fanzine!
> 
> Many thanks to [Lotor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndrewRose/profile) for betaing this fic for me.
> 
> Enjoy!

In the years following Allura’s passing, the former paladins of Voltron and the family they had made slowly began to drift apart. At first, it didn’t seem unusual at all that there would be some time between seeing each other - it was natural, they all had different things they needed to take care of, after all. But then the time between visits grew longer and longer until the day came that Hunk realized it had been years since he had seen Lance outside of the day they came together to commemorate Allura. 

While he couldn’t account for the others, he himself had gotten so absorbed in training others in intergalactic culinary arts, that he hadn’t even noticed the passage of time. Of course, he knew time passed - that was something impossible to miss, after all - but just how long it was, how long it had been, was baffling. More than two years since even a small casual visit, even longer since they’d simply taken the time to have fun together.

He made his decision quickly, now accustomed to thinking on his feet due to having built up and run the chain of restaurants he had, looking over who he had placed where, and ensuring there was full coverage before messaging Sal and Shay. The two were his assistants and each one more than capable of stepping up for him for any given amount of time.

It was time for him to go back to Earth to see his best friend.

* * *

A trail of dust blew up behind Hunk as he moved down the unpaved road that led to the building Lance called home, his hoverbike not touching the ground, headband flapping behind him in the mid-morning breeze. His hair was held at the nape of his neck in a small hair tie, too short to put into a real ponytail, but too long to leave down while driving in. To one side, he could see the Juniberry flowers blossoming beautifully, while the other held a small herd of cattle grazing in the warmth of late spring. He thought he could make out Kalteneker as he passed, but he didn’t dwell on it too long, instead focusing ahead of him once more, slowing down until he came to a stop, letting the bike gently come to rest on the ground before swinging his leg over and standing beside it.

Only now that he was here did Hunk hesitate. He hadn’t let Lance know that he was coming, hadn’t stopped to check and make sure that Lance would even be here, what if he’d come all this way for nothing? Frowning to himself, he shifted the bag he carried on his shoulder before squaring up and moving to climb the small steps up to the porch and then to the door, taking a deep breath before knocking, knuckles rapping loudly against the wood.

His fears that Lance might not be present were quickly put to rest as he heard a thud from within, followed by scampering, sounds that sounded very much like his friend, alongside low barking and claws scraping against the floor. As the door finally swung open, Hunk was met with a sight he had not expected in the slightest - one that filled him with worry.

Blue eyes looked up at him with confusion and worry, dark bags resting beneath them and a face that Hunk was accustomed to seeing smile had gained frown-lines. Lance’s clothing was loose on him, as well, looking comfortable but perhaps a little too loose, as if he had lost weight and hadn’t taken the chance to get clothing in a smaller size.

Not wanting to think on the implications of what was before him, Hunk leaned down and pulled Lance in for a big hug. His grip was tight, perhaps too tight given the soft, wheezing laugh he heard coming from his best friend, but arms moved to wrap around him, holding him close and Hunk never felt more at ease than he did at that moment. It was like a part of him was soothed by the presence of the other man, and if he knew Lance at all as well as he used to…

Then Lance felt the same as well. It certainly seemed like it with how he relaxed in his arms as the dog he had heard before came up to sniff at him, cold, wet nose pressing against the leg of Hunk’s pants briefly before opening her mouth and panting, looking almost happy at his appearance.

“It’s alright, Freckles,” Lance chuckled softly, pulling away slightly, reluctantly, and putting a hand atop her head, scratching between her ears. “Hunk’s a friend. A really good friend.” There was a pause before Lance looked up, face scrunching up in confusion. “Haven’t heard from you in a while, actually, what’s up? What brings you out to my humble little farm?” A smile spread across his lips, hesitant, shaky, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Shifting the bag he carried on his back, Hunk gave an easy shrug. “Well, I realized it’d been a while, and I figured, what better time to come and visit my best friend, yeah?” He gave Lance a confident smile before crouching down to the same level as the dog, noting the black spots interspersed with white, blurring in areas to make grey and certainly not at all like a dalmatian. This was a Cowdog, through and through. “Didn’t expect you to have a little lady, though. I’m glad at least you haven’t been alone out here.”

There was a heavy pause as Hunk gently pet along the side of Freckles’ muzzle, fingers scratching along the fur at the side of her neck. It wasn’t until she started softly whining in the back of her throat that Hunk looked up at Lance, seeing... well. If he’d thought Lance looked horrible upon arriving, it was nothing compared to how he looked now.

His eyes were watering, hands clenched at his side even as he kept a smile on his face. “Yeah, she’s been good company. No one else ever came out here, so it seemed like… y’know, it’d be good to have a dog. And Freckles is a good girl, she helps with the livestock when we need it, not that  _ that’s  _ too often, and just helps remind me that there are things to do. But - don’t you have to go and run your restaurant? Don’t you have to do… things?” Unspoken, though Hunk certainly thought he could almost hear Lance’s mind,  _ ‘Aren’t there other things out there more  _ ** _important _ ** _ than me?’ _

Hunk didn’t like that thought.

“Well, I mean whether I’m there or not, business will go well,” Hunk offered as he pushed himself up to stand, carefully moving closer to Lance, but stopping just shy of actually reaching out to touch him. “If anything catastrophic happens, Shay or Sal will let me know, but… they’ve got the hang of things now. It’s been a long time since I had time to myself, did anything besides focus on work and… I really wanted to see you.” He fell silent, carefully looking at the marks left on Lance’s cheeks, the proof that their lives had changed so much from when they first met in the Garrison. “I - if this is an inconvenience-”

Suddenly, Lance’s gaze shot up, eyes locking onto Hunk’s as his hands reached out to grab hold of Hunk’s arms as if physically trying to keep him right where he was. “ ** _No_ ** ! I mean, no, it’s - it’s  _ never  _ an inconvenience, Hunk, I promise. Though, you might find it a bit of one. It’s always - there’s always something going on, I don’t get to really relax much. Have to keep the dairy cows milked, and keep all the animals fed. Luckily there isn’t anything that needs harvesting right now, but that - it won’t be for long that that’s the case.”

Hunk chuckled softly, leaning forward and gently bumping his forehead against Lance’s. “Well, then, I guess I need to learn how to pull my own weight, then, don’t I? I really do mean it - I miss you. Even if it’s just us spending time taking care of things here, I want to have some time with my best friend.”

Lance’s eyes continued watching Hunk’s for a moment before looking away with a quick nod. “Well, we’ll see how long that lasts. We’ve got early mornings here, we rise with the sun and set with it, for the most part. It’s… easiest that way?”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

* * *

Lance found the days passing quicker with Hunk there - having someone other than his dog for company was pleasant, and some of the color in his face returned, as did some of his weight, leaving him looking almost as healthy and whole as he’d been before they’d lost Allura. On top of that, he felt much better, felt more energetic and even looked forward to waking up to the sounds and smells of Hunk preparing breakfast in the mornings as he took care of matters around the farm.

And boy were there matters to take care of. For all that he didn’t really stop to interact with them much, others worked there and helped with the upkeep of everything. Lance was just in charge of it all, making sure that the flowers that were taken from the juniberry field were appropriately trimmed and taken care of, that it was done with the utmost respect and that there was more than enough left growing freely in the field.

Then there were the cattle that needed tending, having a small herd there that produced milk containing hints of juniberry within, from what the cows grazed on. They had to label it specially, and there was much more demand than what they could safely produce, but they did what they could to keep everything going. The milk would sometimes be left alone, some would be made into butter, but very little remained on the farm.

All in all, Hunk was surprised at the amount of work Lance had. That was, ultimately, what had prevented him from reaching out more to see his friends and to relax. It was the last thing he had of the past, and he refused to let it wither. Instead, it flourished, and those who worked there were more than compensated for their time.

While he couldn’t do what Lance did, what he could do was follow the smaller man around and ensure he rested, help remind him of things, and it wasn’t until a few weeks later that Lance realized just how much he relied on the other man.

“I’m really gonna miss you,” Lance groaned as he sunk into his seat at the small table in the kitchen while Hunk prepared their supper. “This year’s especially difficult, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been here.”

There’s hissing coming from the stove as Hunk moves the chicken around in the pan, making sure to cook it just right even as Freckles lay on the floor nearby, ears slightly perked atop her head and eyes watching his every movement, waiting for some small morsel to land on the floor. Hunk expected this from the dog, only giving her a cursory glance to make sure she’s not close enough that he might accidentally spill hot grease on her before focusing on the chicken. “You know I’ll always do what I can to help you, yeah?” He tried to focus on the good, to focus on what he could promise at that moment rather than think further into the implications - that Lance expected he would leave soon.

“Of course I know that,” Lance’s voice was quick to respond, almost immediately jumping on it. “But you’re not always going to be able to help, man. You’ve got your own things to do, your own life to lead. I’m just... I’m surprised you haven’t left already. I’m sure they miss you, Sal and Shay.”

Hunk hummed quietly to himself, thoughts running circles in his mind as he ensured the chicken was fully cooked before plating it, taking one plate to Lance and keeping the other for himself, sitting down beside him. “I imagine they miss me less than you think,” he finally said, voice light. “They’re able to do things their way with me gone. Not that I would’ve  _ actively  _ prevented them from doing so but…” Hunk shrugged, taking a bite out of the chicken leg from on his plate. “I’ve kept in touch with them, things are fine, so I can stay as long as I want.”

Lance’s expression was loaded, somewhere between longing and skeptical as he watched Hunk before digging into his own meal, tossing Freckles a small bit of meat distractedly. “And how long is that gonna be? I’m not chasing you away, but I’m sure the couch can’t be that comfortable.”

“Hey, it’s more comfortable than the beds from when we were in the Garrison. Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Hunk didn’t want to think about it - didn’t want to think of the fact he would probably have to leave soon.

He didn’t want to leave.

And if he was reading Lance right... Lance didn’t want him to leave, either.

“If you’re that worried about it, we could always share your bed,” Hunk added after a moment, giving Lance a grin, instantly noticing how quickly the smaller man’s reaction changed, his cheeks heating up beneath the blue markings and his mouth open and stammering. “I’m joking, I promise. I know - you’re... yeah.”

“You know what?” Lance’s voice was laced with confusion, his face still warm and pink, head tilting to the side slightly. “I - I wouldn’t... I’d be fine sharing a bed with you, but... why do you think I wouldn’t be?”

Hunk’s mouth was dry, taking a moment to carefully pull off the smaller side bone off of the leg he’d about devoured before passing the large bone to Freckles, who happily took the offering and curled up to gnaw on it. “Because - I mean, after Allura... I didn’t want to assume anything, y’know?” He licked his lips before looking over at Lance - Lance who was leaning in closer and closer to Hunk, and he was struck by just how subtle the blue was in the smaller man’s eyes.

“You thought I wouldn’t be interested in anyone after having lost her?” His voice was soft as Hunk nodded, the expression on his face lightening towards sad amusement, lips quirking upwards. “I miss her - and I’ll always miss her, until the very end, but... the only reason I haven’t tried dating again is I don’t have time for it. I don’t have time to go looking for someone.”

Hunk swallowed, his heart beating fast, feeling as if it was trying to beat its way up his throat into his mouth. “But if someone came to you…?”

Lance didn’t say anything - not verbally. But his body leaned forward, hand resting on Hunk’s leg until he’d leaned in close enough to softly, gently press his lips to Hunk’s. There was a hesitation in the kiss, but Hunk was quick to quell it, reaching over and pulling Lance close, holding onto him and returning the kiss firmly, trying to convey just how he felt all into one small action.

That night, they shared the bed, cuddled close and enjoying the feeling of one another’s company as they fell asleep.

* * *

Weeks passed, and fall began to settle in in earnest, with the men enjoying one another’s company daily as they went about all the work with the farm, the load lightening as the picking of juniberry flowers slowed to a halt. The chillier air settled in, letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that nothing more would be growing that year.

Despite the conversation they’d had (the first of many, in fact), Lance seemed to hold himself back more often than not, as if afraid that despite constant reassurances from Hunk, that he would leave.

And one day, Hunk did leave.

He didn’t announce what he was doing, and he left his things behind, but Lance was still convinced that the other man had decided it was best to go quietly.

So, Lance did what he did best. He pulled on his big boy pants and continued about his day, feeling Hunk’s absence in every little thing he did. Milking the herd was much quieter, much more solemn than usual, with Lance taking what comfort he could from Kalteneker as his head gently pressed against her side, hands pulling down carefully on the teats so the milk would go into the clean pail below.

Ordinarily happy and bouncing around, it seemed even Freckles knew something was wrong, given her seeming lack of energy while she followed his every moment, whining occasionally.

He smiled and laughed through talking with the other workers, pointedly ignoring the sad looks that came from them as they saw Lance by himself - because it was fine. This was fine.

It was fine. He could handle being alone. He’d done it for a long while, and he’d do so again.

It wasn’t until he had sat himself down at the table, waiting for supper that it really hit him, just how much he relied on Hunk - how used to his presence he’d grown, not even thinking to make something himself until he heard the sound of an approaching hoverbike.

He moved so quickly from the table that his chair fell over - but he didn’t even stop to pick it up, instead running out the back door and heading toward where Hunk was parking his bike, looking his usual cheerful self and opening his arms to happily let Lance in the moment he was standing on the ground.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on? I told you I was going into town today, didn’t I? I had some paperwork I needed to do and get sent over to the others for official things.” As Lance shook his head, Hunk gently nuzzled against the top of his head, pressing a small kiss to his scalp. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think it’d take so long, or I would’ve brought something to eat. Here, let’s go throw together something, I want to sit out under the stars tonight for a bit. Is that alright?”

“I - yeah, yeah, that’s fine.” Lance was wiping at his face, trying his best to keep from showing just how shaken he’d been, not wanting Hunk to see the tears that he’d almost shed. “I’ll help, it’s been a while since we’ve eaten outside. I’ll get blankets.” Smiling, he moved so he was beside Hunk, but seemed unwilling to let go just yet, one arm wrapped around Hunk’s back as Hunk’s arm wrapped around Lance’s shoulders.

“Sounds like a plan. I think tonight’s gonna be a nice night, but better safe than sorry.” It was fall, after all. The first frost wasn’t far off, and while Hunk ran hot, he didn’t want Lance to get cold. “We can eat under one of the trees, avoid possible traps that way.”

No one wanted to step in what cattle left behind accidentally after all was said and done. No one.

“Alright, I’ll meet you there.” Lance leaned up to quickly press a kiss to Hunk’s cheek before pulling himself away, hesitating a moment before going to the linen closet. He kept plenty of extra blankets around, including one thicker one made of a material that was especially good for sitting on outside. Pulling that one out along with a couple more they could wrap over their shoulders if needed, he moved towards the tree, admiring the sun as it set.

Before Hunk had returned to his life, he didn’t think much of the sunsets. But now, it marked the end of the workday and the beginning of the personal time they had before falling asleep. So, once he spread the large blanket out and sat down, he admired the colors of the sky until he was joined by the man who had changed so many things.

“Here we go, made us up a few sandwiches, and grabbed some chips. Hardly the most romantic dinner, I know, but,” Hunk laughed, setting the small basket down so it was in between the two of them before handing Lance one of the sandwiches.

The two ate in silence as the sun continued to set, content with one another’s presence, though Lance noticed out of the corner of his eye that Hunk seemed off. Twitchy, even as he moved to pull Lance close and cuddle together once they were done eating.

“Enjoying your sandwiches?” Hunk’s voice held its usual good cheer as he gently nuzzled against Lance’s hair once more, Lance nodding against his side. “Good. I’m really sorry about leaving you to do everything all day, I just - took longer than I thought to find what I needed.”

Lance shook his head, arms moving to wrap themselves comfortably around Hunk’s middle. “It’s fine. I’d just, completely forgotten you’d said you needed to go to town to do it.” There was a pause before Lance entirely took in what Hunk had said. “... wait. Find? I thought you were just filling out paperwork for things for your restaurants?”

Hunk at least looked a bit sheepish, his hand moving to rest gently against Lance’s side. “Mm, well. There was that, but I had another motive for going into town. Something I wanted to get. Something I wanted to do.” Shifting his weight a little, he used his free hand to dig into his pocket, pulling something out that Lance couldn’t immediately see. “It’s... well.”

“Well, what? I’m confused. What do you want to do?” His chest ached, already feeling as if everything was about to fall apart.

To his surprise, though, Hunk turned his hand over, revealing a small velvet box. Using his thumb to flip it open, he revealed inside there was a small ring made of rose gold, almost matching the setting sun in color, the light reflecting and giving it a beautiful shine. It took him only a moment to take in just what was there, taking in a breath as Hunk rested his cheek so his mouth was just beside Lance’s ear.

“I love you so much, Lance. So much. I never want to leave your side, so... will you marry me?” The hand resting on Lance’s side carefully brushed along it, pulling Lance close so he was almost back to chest with Hunk, gently plucking the ring from where it rested in the box to slip it onto Lance’s shaking, but more than willing finger.

“Oh my God, Hunk. Yes. Yes…!” Lance’s voice squeaked before turning to press his lips to Hunk’s, the larger man laughing and carefully holding him close.

This  _ was  _ a beautiful start to what would hopefully be a lifelong love letter.


End file.
